Ruben Eliceo Vasquez was found guilty of murdering Alameda County Sheriff's Deputy John Monego during a robbery at an Outback Steakhouse in Dublin, California in 1998. Deputy Monego, 33, left behind a wife and their young son. His murderer was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole but filed an application for the commutation of his prison sentence in 2018.
Gavin Newsom became governor of California in Jan. 2019 and spent much of his first year in office pardoning and commuting the prison sentences of violent criminals. A growing number of people are now fearing the governor may approve Vasquez's application to commute his sentence.
Keith Graves, a former California police officer who was friends with the fallen deputy, has criticized the governor for releasing criminals while making it harder for law-abiding citizens in the state to protect themselves. Graves wrote a letter to Gavin Newsom imploring the governor not to release the man who was found guilty of mercilessly killing his friend.
(Via 2A Cops)
Inmate Vasquez must continue to be held accountable for his personal choice to execute Deputy Monego. Due to his complete disregard for human life, lack of remorse and the heinous nature and brutality of this crime, justice demands that his sentence not be commuted to life or anything less then his original sentence. No change in his sentencing can afford Inmate Vasquez the opportunity to obtain parole status. He must remain behind bars where he can never again be given the opportunity to harm another human being.
Please do not commute the sentence of inmate Vasquez. Deputy Monego was my friend as is his wife Tammy and his son Dominic. Dom and my son have been best friends since childhood. My son is now a Deputy Sheriff and Dom will soon be a police officer as well. I am writing this letter the day after the anniversary of Deputy Monego’s assassination. Although it has been almost 20 years since his death, I am unable to write this without crying. I was also a police officer. I watched Dominic grow up without his father while my son had the luxury of having me around. I try to let Dominic know what a great man his dad was, but he will never truly know his father. He was robbed of that opportunity by a vicious killer that has applied for commutation.
You have been commuting a number of sentences since you became governor. It is not without consequences. This commutation application has been re-victimizing their family by making them relive this all over again. Your actions in this case have a large impact not only on the Monego family, but the citizens of California.
California has become a state where members of law enforcement now have to worry about the governor freeing criminals who murder their colleagues.
There is a way to commute the sentence that Californias must suffer under Gavin Newsom. The California Republican Party has endorsed two recall efforts seeking to remove the governor from office. Surely enough Californians must be getting tired of all the released criminals, homeless people, sanctuary policies, high gas prices and endless wildfires that keep getting worse under Gavin and the Democrats.